Phoenix Open: Xander Schauffele The Favorite on Sunday

While all of the attention at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Saturday was on Jordan Spieth, and rightfully so, it seemed lost on nearly everyone that Xander Schauffele is also at 18-under par and tied for the lead.

Schauffele was actually in the lead through 36 holes after shooting 66 on Thursday and 64 on Friday. That left him at 12-under par through the first two rounds.

More from Pro Golf Now

While Spieth was making 10 birdies on the day and vaulting his way up the leader board, Schauffele got off to a rather slow start in his Saturday round. He parred the first hole but got into trouble on the second. His tee shot landed in the native area and he was only able to advance his second shot about 60 yards. That left him about 75 yards for his third.

He got his third shot on the green but had just under 25 feet left for par. He missed the putt then made a three-footer for bogey. It turned out to be the only blemish on his Saturday card.

Schauffele had a disappointing par on the par-5 third hole, but he was able to take advantage of the fourth hole. On the par three, his tee shot landed about 10 feet from the cup and he made the putt to get back to even par on his round.

He would go on to birdie the par-4 sixth hole and the par-4 ninth hole to close his front nine with a 2-under par 33.

Schauffele started his back nine with pars on the 10th, 11th and 12th holes. Then, he really got things going.

He hit the par-5 13th hole in two and two-putted for a birdie. On the par-4 14th hole, he ran in a 25-foot birdie putt to get to 4-under on his round. Then, on the par-5 15th hole, Schauffele narrowly missed an eagle and tapped in for a third straight birdie. He was 5-under at that point.

Next. Brooks Koepka: 2021 FedEx Cup Contender or Pretender?. dark

Schauffele would birdie the 17th hole, his final birdie of the day, and would finish the back nine with a 4-under par 32. That left him with a round of 65 and a 54-hole total of 18-under par.

Make no mistake, Schauffele is the favorite going into Sunday’s round. While Spieth winning would be a great story, Schauffele is the better player between the two right now. If he plays his game on Sunday, it will be a fifth career PGA Tour win for Schauffele and a day of disappointment for those rooting for Spieth.

Home/Golf News